Order Has Been Restored

There was a Nike ad I saw this week in Sports Illustrated that is the title of today's blog. It sums up this piece I had rolling around in my head since Duke won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship a couple of week's ago. Duke has been a perennial powerhouse in college basketball, though there has been a drought the past six years-no trips to the final four. 2010 put things back in order.


Duke is lead by their coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K). He had been there 30 years, nearly half his adult life. In that time, Duke has won 4 National Conferences (including 2010), been to the Final Four 11 times; have been in 12 Elite 8's, won the ACC Conference Championship 12 times and the regular season 12 times. They play meaningful games almost every night. To be this effective, there must be a system.


Whether you like Duke or not, you must respect what they've accomplished. The men on this team typically graduate and most don't have a career in the NBA. He brings in players that will excel in his system, not be standouts who will leave after their freshman year. He is a tactician, a motivator, and has a system that works. On occasion, he tweaks the system but there is no doubt it is his.


Every successful organization has a system in place in order to replicate success. One of the hardest thing for small organizations is to take the time to create processes that still allows creativity and the flow of new products. It's a delicate balance that many organizations can't achieve which stymies or extinguishes growth. Every organization needs a Coach K at a leadership level that will create and execute a successful system. What kind of order does your organization have? Maybe its time to create some.